Cole Harbour-area schools could face Halifax school board review

Another fight over potential school closures begins tonight in the Halifax area.

The Halifax Regional School Board will decide whether to review eight schools in the Cole Harbour area — including Cole Harbour District High School.

Cole Harbour High's future is in question now the province is committed to building a new high school in Eastern Passage.

"It is a direct cause and effect," said Cole Harbour parent Shannon Parsons. "Opening a school in Eastern Passage will cause the closure of Cole Harbour District High School."

When the new high school in Eastern Passage opens in 2018, enrolment at Cole Harbour High School will be cut in half from 835 students to about 400.

Parsons calls the decision by the previous New Democratic Party government to build a high school in Eastern Passage foolish.

"There's been a promise made to a community for a school for development purposes not for education," she said.

Reorganization necessary

Parsons predicts both schools will end up as tier two schools with no International Baccalaureate program, no football or hockey team and no interest from sport scouts.

In the Department of Education's school review policy, there are six circumstances that may lead to a school review.

One of those is, "A school or group of schools is unable to, or projected to be unable to, provide a suitable and equitable range of learning opportunities for students, due to declining enrolment."

In 2014, the Liberal government changed the way underused schools are closed in Nova Scotia.

School boards are no longer able to review individual schools for closure. Instead, they must look at families of schools and come up with long-term regional plans for each building.

Board chair Melinda Daye said there is bound to be some reorganizing, but Cole Harbour High won't close.

"It may look different, in terms of the number of students that will be attending that school and the programs of course," she said.

$10 million invested

In 2012, the province invested $10 million into Cole Harbour High to build a new skilled trades centre and a cafetorium — a large room that functions as both auditorium and cafeteria. 

Tonight the board will decide whether to begin the review process for the Cole Harbour District family of schools.

They include:

• Cole Harbour District High
• Ross Road School
• Sir Robert Borden Junior High
• Atlantic View Elementary
• Colonel John Stuart Elementary
• George Bissett Elementary
• Nelson Whynder Elementary
• Robert Kemp Turner Elementary

If it passes, it puts the future of Cole Harbour High and seven other schools in the district in question.

Parsons wants the Eastern Passage decision reviewed instead.

"I would like to see construction of Eastern Passage High delayed until a time where they have the student capacity to sustain their operation as well as not cause the closure of Cole Harbour High," she said.